12 quarantined after returning from China - J’cans claim they got shabby treatment at airport

Two Jamaicans, Alicia and Kedisha, who returned from China Saturday night are among one dozen persons currently quarantined by health officials who are desperately trying to prevent the deadly coronavirus reaching the country's shores.

Alicia is a medical student, who has been in China for three years, and Kedisha was working as a teacher.

"Before we even left China, we were in our apartments because we were told not to be in any public spaces. We travelled through the airport ... through the US, through Shanghai, they checked us ... we don't have any symptoms, so we should be on our way," Kedisha told THE STAR.

"I understand that we travelled and we have to be quarantined. We get that, but if you're going to do it, do it right. It's not fair! Is this a way to treat your own people?," she questioned.

The women, who arrived just after 9:30 p.m., are upset that they were made to endure hunger as they were kept in an isolated facility at the airport.

"We sat there and we were hungry. We've been travelling for an entire day ... plane food is not nothing compared to what we would call a meal. So we hungry and we tired and everything ... not even little water dem offer us," Kedisha said.

She said that their fast was only broken when they gave a nurse money and asked her to get some food for them. She returned with cup-soup, a patty, a juice and two bottles of water at midnight.

Got surprisingly worse

Kedisha said that they were taken to another room "close to where the aeroplanes are landing". The women said they were locked away in the room and they felt that no one would have been able to hear them in the event of an emergency.

Alicia told THE STAR that things got surprisingly worse, when they were joined by other persons.

"They brought two Chinese persons here. They brought one first, then brought another. I'm panicking because they aren't wearing any masks. I just want to leave right now. I understand the process, but it's just not ideal. It's not the right approach ... they're a bit ignorant to the situation," the medical student said.

The women have since been transported to a facility in St Andrew where they are being kept isolated from the public.

"They said we will be here for 14 days. We are restricted from even seeing our families. I believe they can put measures in place for us to see them. That's my biggest concern. We need we family more than ever right now! If a even at least fi one hour fi di day," Kedisha said.

Meanwhile, Dr Christopher Tufton, minister of health, says it's unlikely that they will be seeing their family members while in isolation.

"Quarantine means staying away from everybody. I don't think so," he told THE STAR last night.